Chapter 38: Reality (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: Reality (7)
"Wh-Where are you touching? Get off me!"
Im Hwa-yeon shoved me away, flustered.
"So much for trying to help."
"…Hmph, who asked you to help? More importantly, your personality seems a little different."
I thought about her words for a moment. Compared to when I first ran into her, the trembling was gone. It was probably proof that I now had perfect control over my body.
"You think so?"
"Yeah. Before, you were kind of… pathetic. Now, it’s like you’re a different person."
"Well, people change."
"The problem is how fast you’ve changed… You were the same as always just yesterday."
Sensing her suspicion, I changed the subject.
"Hey, I’m curious about something. Why do you keep dragging me around even after graduation?"
"Don’t be ridiculous. This is the first time we’ve met since graduation. And do you think I wanted to call you? It was because of that bastard, Oh Gyeong-hun. I had no choice but to call you, just for today."
"Oh Gyeong-hun?"
"Yeah, Oh Jeong-seok’s son, Oh Gyeong-hun. The crazy bastard who struts around just because his dad is S-Class and the leader of the Sun Guild."
As she spoke, I tried to recall anything about Oh Gyeong-hun from Kim Woo-jin’s memories, but something was strange. It felt like the memories had been faintly erased.
What is this? I don’t know anything about him.
I looked at Im Hwa-yeon and asked, "What did he say?"
"I don’t know, he just told everyone in our class to come to his villa this weekend to celebrate graduation. And he told me to take responsibility for you, make you act like a human, and bring you along. Like I’m some kind of babysitter."
"But I was just a baggage carrier today."
"Well, your looks have changed, and you’re not dressing like a loser anymore, so I didn’t pay it much mind."
Im Hwa-yeon glanced at me as she spoke.
"Why would Oh Gyeong-hun go out of his way to pair me up with you?"
"That bastard confessed to me back in the day and got rejected. It’s obvious he’s still holding a grudge and acting like an ass over it. He knows I can’t stand you, so he probably linked us together on purpose."
"What a psycho."
"A total psycho. If I could, I’d punch that bastard Oh Gyeong-hun, but I can’t."
"You could just ignore him. You’re part of the Halcyon Guild and you’re A-Class, right?"
"I wish I could. The problem is the Sun Guild behind that bastard Oh Gyeong-hun."
"Do they have some kind of dirt on you?"
"Yeah. My dad is the leader of the Halcyon Guild. But the Sun Guild owns a pretty big stake in our guild."
"Is the Sun Guild that powerful?"
"What are you talking about? You’ve been saying the weirdest things all day. Did you hit your head so hard it got reset? The Sun Guild is the strongest and most influential guild in our country. Their name alone carries enormous weight with the government, corporations, and the Association."
Hearing her words, I felt again that something was off. If the Sun Guild was that famous, it was information Kim Woo-jin should have known.
There’s definitely something between Oh Gyeong-hun and Kim Woo-jin… The problem is, I have no way of finding out right now…
It seemed like a problem I’d have to look into later.
Im Hwa-yeon and I sat in silence for a while, leaning against the alley wall. I was the first to speak.
"Anyway, how long are we going to stay like this?"
Im Hwa-yeon hugged her knees and whispered softly, "I don’t know… My phone’s dead too. Shouldn’t we hide until support arrives from the Association or our guild?"
"So much for an A-Class ability user."
"You son of a… You got a better idea?"
"An idea… Well, there is one…"
I trailed off, looking at Im Hwa-yeon as I thought.
If I use my Sexual Art, I might be able to defeat him. Or I could go into one of the creations and come back stronger.
If I had enough time, I could just force myself on Im Hwa-yeon and fill her womb with semen until her affection maxed out, but there was a chance we’d be attacked by the enemy while having sex.
"What is it? Do you have a plan or not?"
"Never mind… Let’s think a little more."
In the end, I deflected. Im Hwa-yeon sighed with an annoyed expression.
"Spit it out. If you have any kind of plan, you should share it."
Can I really tell her this…
If I told her I could increase her lacking Aether through sex, there was a high chance she’d try to kill me.
After some thought, I carefully opened my mouth.
"…There’s a way to restore and increase your pathetic excuse for Aether."
"There is?! How?"
Im Hwa-yeon’s eyes widened in shock.
Is it… really okay to tell her…
If I was honest, I felt like a fist would fly into my face immediately.
I took a deep breath and spoke slowly.
"Restoring your Aether is your most urgent problem right now. I… can help with that."
"So what is it! Stop dragging it out, it’s frustrating!"
"Sex… No, it’s called a Yin-Yang Union…"
Before I could even finish, Im Hwa-yeon’s face turned bright red.
"What did you say…? You perverted bastard…!"
Her expression hardened, and a small flame sparked in her hand.
"W-Wait, it can permanently increase your Aether."
At my words, Im Hwa-yeon bit her lip, her expression turning complicated.
"How… effective is it?"
"The more we do it, the greater the increase."
"Then it’s not very effective right now, is it? Even if we did it this instant, we don’t know when that gay bastard will attack."
"But there’s no other way."
"Haa… For now, let’s put that on hold…"
Sighing, Im Hwa-yeon ultimately refused and covered her face with her hands.
Hmm, I think I could probably get her into heat right now.
When we first met, she had reacted to my internal energy. Now that she was exhausted, there was a chance she wouldn’t notice it.
The problem was that I needed to make physical contact. It would be too suspicious to just get up and sit next to her.
"Hey, let’s get moving again."
Im Hwa-yeon said in a cold voice. The softer demeanor from a moment ago was gone, replaced by an icy tone.
"Where to?"
"We need to get out of this alley. If we stay here, we don’t know when that bastard will find us."
She was right. If we stayed put, we’d eventually be found.
I’ll look for an opportunity while we’re on the move.
We got up and moved through the narrow alley. We were blocked by transparent walls here and there, but so far, there were no other problems.
"Haah, when is this barrier or whatever going to end…"
Im Hwa-yeon grumbled. The exhaustion was plain on her face.
"Are you okay? Want me to help you?"
"…Don’t worry about me. I can still walk on my own."
Im Hwa-yeon spoke stubbornly, but her face was growing paler.
Before long, we emerged onto a road. Corpses were scattered everywhere. We could even hear the sounds of fighting in the distance.
"I hear fighting over there."
"Huh? I don’t hear anything. You must have amazing hearing for a Physical Type."
"What should we do? Go help?"
"No, I can’t do much in my state. My Aether has recovered a little, but not enough to fight."
"Got it. Let’s go around."
Just then, I sensed a presence nearby. As I turned to warn Im Hwa-yeon about the sudden presence, two men appeared.
CRASH!
The moment a chain slammed into the ground, I grabbed Im Hwa-yeon and dodged.
"Hehe, I’ve never seen a beauty like this before."
"After fucking nothing but plain bitches, we finally get a taste of a real beauty."
Two men materialized out of thin air.
One man held a chain, a vile smirk on his face. The other approached us, a Japanese sword in hand.
"Where did they come from?"
"Probably an artifact made by an alchemist for stealth and presence concealment."
Im Hwa-yeon and I prepared to attack the two men.
"Hey, don’t just talk amongst yourselves. Let us in on the fun."
The man with the chain spoke with a lazy smile.
"How about you ditch your boyfriend and come have some fun with us?"
"Who’s his girlfriend!"
Im Hwa-yeon snapped, provoked by his words.
"Hehe, even her anger is charming. Alright, let’s kill the guy quickly and rape her."
The men drew closer. The one with the Japanese sword swung his blade through the air threateningly, while the man with the chain spun his weapon with a disgusting smile. The chain whistled menacingly through the air.
Watching their murderous movements, I whispered to Im Hwa-yeon.
"I’ll attack first. Just support me from behind when you can."
"…Alright."
As soon as she answered, I gathered my internal energy and charged toward them at full speed.
I targeted the weaker-looking one with the Japanese sword first. The blade glinted coldly in the darkness, waiting for my approach.
As I closed in, the man frowned and swung his sword sharply. But my rapid movements made his gaze waver slightly.
"This bastard…"
He swung the Japanese sword in a wide horizontal arc. The blade cut through the darkness, speeding toward my neck. But the movement was too wide. The large motion made it easy to dodge.
The moment the blade missed, his balance faltered. It was my chance.
As soon as I saw the opening, a blow infused with my internal energy struck true.
"Gaaah!"
The man’s wrist bent at an unnatural angle. His grip loosened, and the Japanese sword flew through the air, clattering to the ground. The heavy metallic sound cut through the cold air.
"Ugh, you son of a bitch!"
I didn’t know what his ability was, but it didn’t seem like I needed to find out.
The internal energy gathered in my dantian flowed like a river down my arm and into my fist. I clenched my fist tightly and threw a punch at his face.
BAM!
The punch, filled with internal energy, landed squarely on his face. But the sensation that traveled up my arm was strange. It felt like I had struck a thick steel plate—an abnormal hardness.
"Ugh!"
The man’s body flew backward. A blow like that should have shattered his nose and caved in his face, but he was merely pushed back. There wasn’t a single scratch on his face.
"Hehe, how do you like my ability, Steel Head!"
His shout made the situation clear. So that was it—he was an ability user who could simply harden his head.
Is it only his head?
If the ability was limited to his head, the rest of his body would be vulnerable.
I grabbed the hilt of the Japanese sword he had dropped. It was a well-balanced sword.
A sword is still more comfortable than my bare hands.
The hilt fit perfectly in my hand. I lowered my stance, aimed the sword, and got ready.
Just then, the man with the chain rushed me from the side, swinging the chain at my head.
WHOOSH!
A pillar of red flame shot up, blocking the Chain Man’s path. It was supporting fire from Im Hwa-yeon. It was a small flame compared to the one she’d used against the gay bastard, but it was enough to stop his attack.
"Shit!"
The man with the chain hastily retreated. The flames blocking his path died down, but his momentum was already broken.
Im Hwa-yeon kept her hands raised, ready to attack at any moment.
I raised the sword horizontally and glared at Steel Head. If only his head was hardened, the rest of him would be weak.
SWISH!
The sharp blade flew toward his neck. It was a moment that could have been a fatal blow—
A chain whipped through the air and wrapped around my sword.
The chain tightened around the blade like a living snake. I felt the sword about to be ripped from my grasp.
"Hehe, my ability is chain manipulation."
The chain moved freely according to the Chain Man’s hand gestures. It was as if it had become an extension of his arm, whipping through the air.
"Take this!"
Another chain flew toward my ankle. While I struggled to keep my grip on the sword, I was in danger of having my ankle bound.
SWIPE!
I quickly lifted my foot to dodge the chain. But the sword was already tightly bound. The chain squeezed harder and harder.
"Kekek, die!"
The Chain Man sent more chains flying. They came at me from all directions like a spiderweb.
At that moment, a small flame flew toward the Chain Man. It was Im Hwa-yeon’s attack.
"This pathetic flame!"
The Chain Man waved his hand. A chain blocked her attack, and Im Hwa-yeon’s weakened flame was easily deflected.
"Haah… haah…"
Im Hwa-yeon panted for breath. Her attack was too weak.
This time, the Chain Man’s chains shot toward Im Hwa-yeon. Unable to dodge, she was hit by the chain and sent flying backward.
I quickly let go of the sword. The chain-bound sword flew into the air.
The Chain Man froze for a second at my unexpected action. I didn’t miss that momentary opening and charged.
"Goddammit!"
The flustered Chain Man frantically swung his remaining chains. But it was too late. My fist was already flying toward his abdomen.
THWACK!
"Keuk!"
My fist, infused with internal energy, sank deep into his stomach. A groan mixed with blood escaped the Chain Man’s lips.
At that moment, I felt a murderous intent from behind me. Steel Head was closing in.
"Aaaargh!"
I grabbed the sword on the ground. Internal energy flowed into the blade. I swung it wide behind me.
SHIIING!
The sharp blade cut through the air.
The sword split the man in two. Red blood gushed out like a fountain.
Steel Head’s body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
I immediately went to check on Im Hwa-yeon. She was leaning against a wall where the chain had knocked her.
"Are you okay?"
"…No, I’m not."
Despite her words, she looked fine on the outside. There didn’t seem to be any serious injuries where the chain had hit her.
I held out my hand to her.
Im Hwa-yeon hesitated for a moment, looking at my hand, before finally taking it.
"Let’s get out of here first."
"Okay…"
The moment she tried to stand, her body swayed. Her legs gave out, and I quickly caught her as she stumbled.
"This won’t work. Get on my back."
Im Hwa-yeon sighed at my words.
"Ugh… I don’t want a piggyback ride from a pervert…"
Though she grumbled under her breath, she obediently climbed onto my back. Her soft breasts pressed against me.
"Just hold on for a bit. Until we get somewhere safe."
Her body heat transferred through my back. Her arms wrapped around my neck, and her breath tickled my ear.
"…Okay."
With that small reply, she leaned deeper against my back. She was so docile, it was hard to believe this was the same prickly Im Hwa-yeon.